Business Watch

HOLLYWOOD Limousine Service Inc. has won the contract as the preferred provider of "on-demand sedan and limousine service" for customers of Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.

"Our goal is to provide passengers at the airport with an exceptional customer experience for the duration of their trip, including their ride to and from the airport," said Barry Rempel, president & CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA).

"Today's travellers have an expectation of services provided at airports around the world and it is our responsibility to ensure they receive the best level of service available in our community."

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Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 8/4/2013 (1631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Limo firm to serve airport

HOLLYWOOD Limousine Service Inc. has won the contract as the preferred provider of "on-demand sedan and limousine service" for customers of Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.

"Our goal is to provide passengers at the airport with an exceptional customer experience for the duration of their trip, including their ride to and from the airport," said Barry Rempel, president & CEO of the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA).

"Today's travellers have an expectation of services provided at airports around the world and it is our responsibility to ensure they receive the best level of service available in our community."

Last week, several city limousine companies protested on the steps of the legislative building the WAA's decision to go with a sole source contract for airport limo service.

"Hollywood Limousine is committed to exceeding customer expectations through friendly, professional service and added perks such as free Wi-Fi," said Ricky Brar from Hollywood Limousine Service Inc. "We are pleased to be part of the region's growing tourism market, assisting passengers of Winnipeg Richardson International Airport with their travel needs."

T.O. gets new Nordstrom

TORONTO — Nordstrom is bolstering its expansion north of the border with plans to open a second location in Toronto.

The high-end U.S. retailer announced Monday it will open a new location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in fall 2016.

The three-level, 188,000-square-foot store will be housed in the mall's $331-million expansion, with construction set to begin in January 2014.

Nordstrom's store in the Yorkdale mall will serve as an anchor for a broader 298,000-square-foot expansion.

Last September, Nordstrom disclosed plans to open its first Canadian stores.

The Seattle-based retailer will move into renovated space vacated by Sears Canada at the Pacific Centre in Vancouver, Chinook Centre in Calgary and the Rideau Centre in Ottawa. A new store will be built at Toronto's Sherway Gardens.

Sears announced last year it would sell back leases for three of its stores to its landlord, Cadillac Fairview, for about $170 million, as the retailer worked to revamp its struggling Canadian operations.

The Calgary Nordstrom location is slated to open for business in fall 2014. Nordstrom stores in Ottawa and Vancouver are set to launch in spring 2015, with the Toronto Sherway Gardens location opening in fall 2016.

Canadians can currently purchase items directly from Nordstrom's website with shipping fees that include the cost of duties at checkout.

The Canadian expansion will mark the retailer's first locations outside of the United States, where Nordstrom currently operates 242 stores.

Indian nuke deal finalized

SASKATOON — Canada and India have taken the next step toward full implementation of a nuclear co-operation agreement.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and India's Department of Atomic Energy have finalized an arrangement that is to allow Canadian companies to export nuclear items to India for peaceful uses.

The announcement made at Cameco Corp. (TSX:CCO) in Saskatoon comes after Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, sealed a nuclear deal last November.

A nuclear co-operation agreement had been signed more than two years ago, but its implementation stalled over the details.

Canada wanted more oversight over where the products wound up.

The agreement ensures Canadian exports only go to facilities in India under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

India has announced plans to build 12 new reactors by 2021, so the Asian country's demand for uranium yellowcake is expected to triple to about $650 million in annual purchases.

All of the Canadian uranium to be exported to India is produced in Saskatchewan, the world's second-leading producer of uranium behind Kazakhstan.

RBC outsourcing probed

TORONTO — The federal government is investigating the external contractor being used by the Royal Bank of Canada to outsource dozens of Toronto jobs.

A spokeswoman for Human Resources Minister Diane Finley said officials are currently reviewing application documents submitted by iGate, the multinational company that has brought in workers to provide certain technical services for RBC.

Alyson Queen said the investigation is based on apparent discrepancies between public statements by RBC and information that had previously been provided to the government by iGate.

To obtain permits for temporary foreign workers, companies need to show a Canadian cannot be found to do the work.

RBC has said it has not hired temporary foreign workers to take over the duties of current employees.

But Canada's largest bank said it had contracted certain technology services to an external company that had brought in its own employees to train at RBC — a decision that affected 45 current RBC workers in Toronto.

The bank said it recognized the impact such an arrangement has on its employees and adds it is helping "retrain, redeploy" and help its employees transition to other positions.

Avon calling more job cuts

NEW YORK — Avon is eliminating more than 400 positions and abandoning or restructuring smaller or underperforming businesses in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, including an exit from Ireland.

The company said Monday the job cuts, which equate to about one per cent of Avon's 39,100 employees, will occur across all regions and segments. It is part of a turnaround plan under CEO Sheri McCoy, with the goal of achieving mid-single-digit percentage revenue growth and $400 million in cost savings by 2016.

Avon expects to complete almost all the cuts before year's end.

The New York company will take charges of around $35 million to $40 million before taxes and expects annualized savings of between $45 million and $50 million.

The job cuts come on top of the 1,500 positions trimmed in December, when the company announced it was exiting Vietnam and South Korea.

The direct seller of beauty products has been struggling to turn around its business at home and in emerging markets. It has also wrestled with a bribery probe in China that began in 2008 and has since spread to other countries.

In its most recent quarter, Avon Products Inc. posted a wider fourth-quarter loss as it marked down the value of its Silpada jewelry business and restructured.

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